Chookie, you guys do make me laugh. We call them chooks up here too, smiling, I mean the chickens.

Lone, the laws up here about ILT are extremely firm. If a farm has any report of this disease, all the stock must be killed. If chickens are taken to shows, they MUST be vaccinated for this.

There is a vaccine up there that is a non-shedding one available. There was some information I read somewhere, but cannot off the top of my head recall what/where, or really what it was all about, but could find out more, if you required so. I should not speak too much of it, as I really do not know anything of this vaccine nor this malade. But it is an extremely bad one, I know that. You were wise to bring in new earth to your yard, very good of you to do that thing.

The infra red lights are 250 watts. They can come in clear or red. Evidently the red colour is so that people are not burned by it. Sounds dumb, as all light bulbs shed a certain amount of light. Ken bought me the clear one when my last red one burned out, and it appears to give the same heat. I suspend the bulb about 24 inches off the ground and that seems to hold the temperature in a very adequate heat, about 90 degrees or thereabouts. I raise the light more as the chicks age. At about 4 weeks old, there is no longer that heat source, they are feathered out and do not require it here. But at the same time, my chicks are indoors in my basement suite right now. But in spring, when outside in the chicken barns, the same applies, after total feathering the light is removed. This age is approximate. Beautiful days, love and live, share, health. Cindi

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There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service

JP, I hadn't heard of diatomaceous earth. I looked it up, and it's probably not easy to acquire here. While what I have is working I'll probably stick with it, but I'll keep listening out for the diatomaceous earth. There are so many old remedies for chooks, each with varying worth. Some people put a couple of drops of kerosene in the water, or condy's crystals. I'll tell you a very effective one that will come in handy if their breathing sounds a bit mucousy with a simple cold. Just put a big hunk of vick's vaporub in their beak and around the nostrils, and the breathing usually clears up in a day or so. If it doesn't, it might be a more serious thing.

Chookie, we are a little behind with the control at shows. They say "all care but no responsibility", but as someone said, is all care really taken? When I looked into vaccines, they are really impractical for anything short of commercial use. If you could please find the information on that vaccine I can see if it is available here. There is no support for backyard poultry, partly because there is not much money in it for big companies, and partly I think the commercial producers might not support what they might see as competition. Look at the ivomec as an example. Everyone knows it is used for poultry, but a poultry specific product is not sold. I have cut down going to shows because of the risk of ILT, and preferably lock them up to breed from when they return from the show. I wonder also if the judge should clean his hands between handling every bird in the show shed. You would not like to have ILT. Here is the official document on it we have here. http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/27_2740.htm

What is the usual use for the infrared light? I'm just wondering where the best place to buy them would be, such as a pet shop or hardware shop? If the heat is comparable to incandescent globes, then we usually use 100 or 150 watts depending on the weather.

Thanks, JP, we do some dealing with a pet shop who buy birds from here. I can ask the old bloke if he knows about them. The other problem we will have in breeding season is the 200 watt incubator globes which we get specially - we don't know yet if they will be taken off production. It could be a problem if they are. They occasionally blow and you have to watch the incubator doesn't go off for too long.

Lone, I am trying to get information about the non-shedding ILT vaccine for you, been really busy lately, have those beautiful days, with health. Cindi

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There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service

I ended up buying the heating devices the pet shop owner brought up. It took him 3 hours to get here so I figured that was the best thing. They are a ceramic heating device, normally used with reptiles. It is more natural not to have light at night, anyway. You can turn the heat down if you like. One is 100 watts, the other 150, which is what we normally use. They were a bit pricey but should last a long time. By the time he buys the small birds, we come out pretty square.

We haven't found out what to do about the 200 W globes for the incubator yet though.

After all the cockerels got in with the pullets this morning, I called the crocodile sanctuary, and they will take the offending males off my hands. There is nothing worse than a hungry crocodile :) I will probably take them next week after penning them, if the road isn't too flooded with the cyclone activity around.

So no way of telling how old those eggs are...Think its safe to eat them...

Why not float the questionable eggs in a bowl of water. Kind of like the old English did in their trials by ordeal. If they float, toss them out. If they sink, eat em. Just break one egg at a time into a seperate cup and add them to the omelet one by one so you aren't left trying to fish a bad egg out of the batter.

Lone, I have finally remembered to get some information for you about the non-shedding vaccine for ILT, it is some information copied out of a post in a chicken forum, I don't know if you have any of these same products available in Australia that we have in Canada, but I wonder if this may help your wonderings? Have that most beautiful day, of love and health, Cindi

There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service

That website takes you in circles so you can't tell if it's available in Australia. Is that the one you put in the eye? Anyway, I went to the poultry meeting today, and basically the view is that things won't change here with making vaccines accessible for backyarders. Maybe we do not have the petitioning numbers here, or people are not well enough informed. I asked someone whether judges could at least wash their hands or change gloves between holding birds, but they didn't think that idea would be accepted by the judges.